The following information needs to be reviewed and incorporated into the wiki:<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Guide<br>Introduction<br>Court records are official documents concerning civil or ecclesiastical matters. Various types of<br>courts exist in England to handle judicial matters. They include:<br>• National government courts.<br>• County government courts.<br>• Manorial courts.<br>• Ecclesiastical courts.<br>This guide deals with the records of the first three types of courts.<br>Most court records identify individuals named in court cases as:<br>• Defendants.<br>• Plaintiffs.<br>• Jurors.<br>• Witnesses.<br>Court records usually do not include birth, marriage, or death information but will provide other<br>valuable information such as family relationships and places of residence. Most researchers use<br>court records after they have investigated other records. Court records are found on both country<br>and county levels. You need to determine which court would have dealt with legal matters in your<br>ancestor's place of residence.<br>For more information about court records, including types of courts, see Background.<br>What You Are Looking For<br>You are looking for court records which may provide the following details about the lives of your<br>ancestors:<br>• Ages.<br>• Residences.<br>• Occupations.<br>• Physical descriptions.<br>• Family relationships.<br>• Events in their lives.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>2<br>Steps<br>These three steps will help you find and use court records.<br>Step 1. Learn more about court records.<br>For more information about the records of specific courts, follow these links to informative Public<br>Record Office leaflets:<br>CHANCERY COURT RECORDS<br>• Chancery Proceedings (Equity Suits)<br>• Chancery Masters’ and Other Exhibits: Sources for Social and Economic History<br>• Chancery: Masters’ Reports and Certificates<br>EXCHEQUER COURT RECORDS<br>• Equity Proceedings in the Court of Exchequer<br>KING'S BENCH COURT RECORDS<br>• King's Bench (Crown side) 1675-1875<br>RECORDS OF THE COURT OF REQUEST<br>• Court of Requests, 1485-1642: a Court for the Poor<br>RECORDS OF THE STAR CHAMBER<br>• Court of Star Chamber, 1485-1642<br>RECORDS OF THE COURT OF WARDS AND LIVERIES<br>• Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540-1645: Land Inheritance<br>ASSIZE COURT RECORDS<br>• Criminal trials at the Assizes<br>• English Assizes: Key to Records of Criminal Trials<br>• English Assizes, 1656-1971: Key to Classes for Civil Trials<br>MANORIAL COURT RECORDS<br>• Manor and Other Local Court Rolls, 13th Century-1922<br>• Manorial Records in the Public Record Office<br>OTHERS<br>• Tracing 19th Century Criminals in the PRO<br>• Sources for Convicts and Prisoners 1100-1986<br>• Supreme Court, Chancery Division: Cases after 1875<br>• Supreme Court: Appeal Cases after 1875<br>The Public Record Office does not hold county Quarter Sessions records and therefore does not<br>publish any leaflets about them. Quarter Sessions records are held by county record offices and<br>other county repositories.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>3<br>Step 2. Determine which court level to search.<br>Determine which court level to search by asking yourself questions such as:<br>• Did my ancestor own property?<br>• Was my ancestor a merchant or craftsman?<br>• Was my ancestor poor?<br>• Was my ancestor known to have been in trouble with the law?<br>The answers to these and other questions will help you determine which courts might have<br>records of your ancestor. However, whatever the circumstances of your ancestor's life, you<br>should start on the county or local court level and move up to the national court level.<br>Step 3. Find the records.<br>For information on where to find court records, see Where to Find It.<br>Background<br>Description<br>Civil courts on the county level included:<br>• Quarter Sessions.<br>• Assize Courts.<br>Quarter Session records are usually the first court records to check for your ancestors.<br>Civil courts on the national level included:<br>• Court of Chancery (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of Common Pleas (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of the Exchequer (a court of equity until 1841).<br>• Court of the King's Bench (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of Requests.<br>• Court of the Star Chamber.<br>• Court of Wards and Liveries.<br>• Supreme Court of Judicature (established in 1875).<br>The national courts dealt with matters appealed from the county courts, or which could not be<br>handled by the county courts, as well as matters of direct concern to the Crown. The court with<br>the largest collection of records covering the most people (before 1875) is the Court of Chancery.<br>Some indexes to Chancery Court cases are available at the Family History Library:<br>• Charles Bernau's Index. (In the catalog record, start with film note 37 for the surname index.)<br>• George Sherwood Collection index.<br>• Calendars, abstracts, etc., of Chancery Proceedings. (Include indexes.)<br>Other indexes are also available at the Public Record Office of England, some of which cover<br>later periods.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>4<br>There were also manorial courts. A manor was a large area of land held by a lord, which did not<br>necessarily conform to parish or county boundaries. The lord had tenants who provided him with<br>services or rent for their parcels of the manor lands. The lord held courts to try offenses<br>committed by the tenants, to settle disputes between tenants, and to handle the official business<br>of the manor. Records of these courts give information about the day-to-day life on a manor.<br>Manorial court records began in 1066 and ended in the early 1900s, though many ended earlier.<br>Court records tend to be difficult to use because:<br>• Few are indexed.<br>• Handwriting is hard to decipher.<br>• They may be written in Latin.<br>• They include unfamiliar legal terms.<br>However, the great amount of information and details about everyday life found in the records<br>makes them a very valuable source, not to be overlooked. Some Family History Societies in<br>England are beginning to index the names of people found in court records of their counties of<br>interest.<br>Where to Find It<br>Family History Centers<br>Most Family History Centers will not have microfilms of court records in their permanent<br>collections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a small<br>fee to have a microfilm loaned to a Family History Center.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.<br>Find a Family History Center near you.<br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library holds many English court records and indexes, mostly on microfilm.<br>There is no fee for using the microfilms in person.<br>To find the court records and indexes available at the library, look in the Family History Library<br>Catalog. Go to What to Do Next, select the catalog, and look for court records for England or<br>Great Britain, or for a specific English county.<br>If you can supply an index reference, you may request photocopies of court records from the<br>library for a small fee. You will need to fill out a Request for Photocopies form with the index<br>reference and the library microfilm number of the record. The microfilm number is available from<br>the Family History Library Catalog. Send the form and the fee to the Family History Library.<br>See Library Services and Resources for more information about using the Family History Library<br>and Family History Centers.<br>In England<br>The Public Record Office of England holds records of the national courts and Assize courts.<br>County repositories and libraries hold Quarter Session records. Addresses for many English<br>repositories can be obtained on the Internet by choosing Repository Lists on the ARCHON<br>home page. Addresses for public libraries can be obtained from Public Libraries on the Web.

+

{{Outdated}}

+

+

The following information needs to be reviewed and incorporated into the wiki:<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Guide<br>Introduction<br>Court records are official documents concerning civil, criminal, or ecclesiastical matters. Various types of<br>courts exist in England to handle judicial matters. They include:<br>• National government courts.<br>• County government courts.<br>• Manorial courts.<br>• Ecclesiastical courts.<br>This guide deals with the records of the first three types of courts.<br>Most court records identify individuals named in court cases as:<br>• Defendants.<br>• Plaintiffs.<br>• Jurors.<br>• Witnesses.<br>Court records usually do not include birth, marriage, or death information but will provide other<br>valuable information such as family relationships and places of residence. Most researchers use<br>court records after they have investigated other records. Court records are found on both country<br>and county levels. You need to determine which court would have dealt with legal matters in your<br>ancestor's place of residence.<br>For more information about court records, including types of courts, see Background.<br>What You Are Looking For<br>You are looking for court records which may provide the following details about the lives of your<br>ancestors:<br>• Ages.<br>• Residences.<br>• Occupations.<br>• Physical descriptions.<br>• Family relationships.<br>• Events in their lives.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>2<br>Steps<br>These three steps will help you find and use court records.<br>Step 1. Learn more about court records.<br>For more information about the records of specific courts, follow these links to informative Public<br>Record Office leaflets:<br>CHANCERY COURT RECORDS<br>• Chancery Proceedings (Equity Suits)<br>• Chancery Masters’ and Other Exhibits: Sources for Social and Economic History<br>• Chancery: Masters’ Reports and Certificates<br>EXCHEQUER COURT RECORDS<br>• Equity Proceedings in the Court of Exchequer<br>KING'S BENCH COURT RECORDS<br>• King's Bench (Crown side) 1675-1875<br>RECORDS OF THE COURT OF REQUEST<br>• Court of Requests, 1485-1642: a Court for the Poor<br>RECORDS OF THE STAR CHAMBER<br>• Court of Star Chamber, 1485-1642<br>RECORDS OF THE COURT OF WARDS AND LIVERIES<br>• Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540-1645: Land Inheritance<br>ASSIZE COURT RECORDS<br>• Criminal trials at the Assizes<br>• English Assizes: Key to Records of Criminal Trials<br>• English Assizes, 1656-1971: Key to Classes for Civil Trials<br>MANORIAL COURT RECORDS<br>• Manor and Other Local Court Rolls, 13th Century-1922<br>• Manorial Records in the Public Record Office<br>OTHERS<br>• Tracing 19th Century Criminals in the PRO<br>• Sources for Convicts and Prisoners 1100-1986<br>• Supreme Court, Chancery Division: Cases after 1875<br>• Supreme Court: Appeal Cases after 1875<br>The Public Record Office does not hold county Quarter Sessions records and therefore does not<br>publish any leaflets about them. Quarter Sessions records are held by county record offices and<br>other county repositories.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>3<br>Step 2. Determine which court level to search.<br>Determine which court level to search by asking yourself questions such as:<br>• Did my ancestor own property?<br>• Was my ancestor a merchant or craftsman?<br>• Was my ancestor poor?<br>• Was my ancestor known to have been in trouble with the law?<br>The answers to these and other questions will help you determine which courts might have<br>records of your ancestor. However, whatever the circumstances of your ancestor's life, you<br>should start on the county or local court level and move up to the national court level.<br>Step 3. Find the records.<br>For information on where to find court records, see Where to Find It.<br>Background<br>Description<br>Civil and criminal courts on the county level included:<br>• Quarter Sessions.<br>• Assize Courts.<br>Quarter Session records are usually the first court records to check for your ancestors.<br>Civil and criminal courts on the national level included:<br>• Court of Chancery (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of Common Pleas (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of the Exchequer (a court of equity until 1841).<br>• Court of the King's Bench (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).<br>• Court of Requests.<br>• Court of the Star Chamber.<br>• Court of Wards and Liveries.<br>• Supreme Court of Judicature (established in 1875).<br>The national courts dealt with matters appealed from the county courts, or which could not be<br>handled by the county courts, as well as matters of direct concern to the Crown. The court with<br>the largest collection of records covering the most people (before 1875) is the Court of Chancery.<br>Some indexes to Chancery Court cases are available at the Family History Library:<br>• Charles Bernau's Index. (In the catalog record, start with film note 37 for the surname index.)<br>• George Sherwood Collection index.<br>• Calendars, abstracts, etc., of Chancery Proceedings. (Include indexes.)<br>Other indexes are also available at the Public Record Office of England, some of which cover<br>later periods.<br>England, How to Use Court Records<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/08/01<br>4<br>There were also manorial courts. A manor was a large area of land held by a lord, which did not<br>necessarily conform to parish or county boundaries. The lord had tenants who provided him with<br>services or rent for their parcels of the manor lands. The lord held courts to try offenses<br>committed by the tenants, to settle disputes between tenants, and to handle the official business<br>of the manor. Records of these courts give information about the day-to-day life on a manor.<br>Manorial court records began in 1066 and ended in the early 1900s, though many ended earlier.<br>Court records tend to be difficult to use because:<br>• Few are indexed.<br>• Handwriting is hard to decipher.<br>• They may be written in Latin.<br>• They include unfamiliar legal terms.<br>However, the great amount of information and details about everyday life found in the records<br>makes them a very valuable source, not to be overlooked. Some Family History Societies in<br>England are beginning to index the names of people found in court records of their counties of<br>interest.<br>Where to Find It<br>Family History Centers<br>Most Family History Centers will not have microfilms of court records in their permanent<br>collections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a small<br>fee to have a microfilm loaned to a Family History Center.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.<br>Find a Family History Center near you.<br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library holds many English court records and indexes, mostly on microfilm.<br>There is no fee for using the microfilms in person.<br>To find the court records and indexes available at the library, look in the Family History Library<br>Catalog. Go to What to Do Next, select the catalog, and look for court records for England or<br>Great Britain, or for a specific English county.<br>If you can supply an index reference, you may request photocopies of court records from the<br>library for a small fee. You will need to fill out a Request for Photocopies form with the index<br>reference and the library microfilm number of the record. The microfilm number is available from<br>the Family History Library Catalog. Send the form and the fee to the Family History Library.<br>See Library Services and Resources for more information about using the Family History Library<br>and Family History Centers.<br>In England<br>The Public Record Office of England holds records of the national courts and Assize courts.<br>County repositories and libraries hold Quarter Session records. Addresses for many English<br>repositories can be obtained on the Internet by choosing Repository Lists on the ARCHON<br>home page. Addresses for public libraries can be obtained from Public Libraries on the Web.

+

+

== Thank YOU / YOUR Article is Selected ==

+

+

The [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/FamilySearch_Research_Wiki FamilySearch Research Wiki] is delighted to let you know that the “'''England Court Records'''” article you helped create will be highlighted on the [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Main_Page Main page] of the Wiki. It will appear '''July 16, 2012 '''and remain for seven days. Thank you for your excellent work – you have given readers/researchers important access to records. Your contributions are appreciated and will assist others in finding their ancestors. You have made a difference in research!

+

+

'''Please note''':

+

+

We invite you to do any enhancing, editing or changing to this article before we post it. If you are considering an edit we ask that it be completed by '''July 15, 2012'''. If you feel this article is not ready to be highlighted, please let us know. Thank you for your time and effort! <br> <br>[[:Category:Featured Article Committee members|Featured Article Committee members]] -<br>

Revision as of 15:45, 26 June 2012

This article is within the scope of WikiProject England, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of England on FamilySearch Research Wiki. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.

Transfer from Research Guidance

The factual accuracy of this article or section may be compromised due to out-of-date information.You can improve the article by updating it.

Please add any comments to the talk page.

The following information needs to be reviewed and incorporated into the wiki:England, How to Use Court RecordsGuideIntroductionCourt records are official documents concerning civil, criminal, or ecclesiastical matters. Various types ofcourts exist in England to handle judicial matters. They include:• National government courts.• County government courts.• Manorial courts.• Ecclesiastical courts.This guide deals with the records of the first three types of courts.Most court records identify individuals named in court cases as:• Defendants.• Plaintiffs.• Jurors.• Witnesses.Court records usually do not include birth, marriage, or death information but will provide othervaluable information such as family relationships and places of residence. Most researchers usecourt records after they have investigated other records. Court records are found on both countryand county levels. You need to determine which court would have dealt with legal matters in yourancestor's place of residence.For more information about court records, including types of courts, see Background.What You Are Looking ForYou are looking for court records which may provide the following details about the lives of yourancestors:• Ages.• Residences.• Occupations.• Physical descriptions.• Family relationships.• Events in their lives.England, How to Use Court RecordsResearch GuidanceVersion of Data: 08/08/012StepsThese three steps will help you find and use court records.Step 1. Learn more about court records.For more information about the records of specific courts, follow these links to informative PublicRecord Office leaflets:CHANCERY COURT RECORDS• Chancery Proceedings (Equity Suits)• Chancery Masters’ and Other Exhibits: Sources for Social and Economic History• Chancery: Masters’ Reports and CertificatesEXCHEQUER COURT RECORDS• Equity Proceedings in the Court of ExchequerKING'S BENCH COURT RECORDS• King's Bench (Crown side) 1675-1875RECORDS OF THE COURT OF REQUEST• Court of Requests, 1485-1642: a Court for the PoorRECORDS OF THE STAR CHAMBER• Court of Star Chamber, 1485-1642RECORDS OF THE COURT OF WARDS AND LIVERIES• Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540-1645: Land InheritanceASSIZE COURT RECORDS• Criminal trials at the Assizes• English Assizes: Key to Records of Criminal Trials• English Assizes, 1656-1971: Key to Classes for Civil TrialsMANORIAL COURT RECORDS• Manor and Other Local Court Rolls, 13th Century-1922• Manorial Records in the Public Record OfficeOTHERS• Tracing 19th Century Criminals in the PRO• Sources for Convicts and Prisoners 1100-1986• Supreme Court, Chancery Division: Cases after 1875• Supreme Court: Appeal Cases after 1875The Public Record Office does not hold county Quarter Sessions records and therefore does notpublish any leaflets about them. Quarter Sessions records are held by county record offices andother county repositories.England, How to Use Court RecordsResearch GuidanceVersion of Data: 08/08/013Step 2. Determine which court level to search.Determine which court level to search by asking yourself questions such as:• Did my ancestor own property?• Was my ancestor a merchant or craftsman?• Was my ancestor poor?• Was my ancestor known to have been in trouble with the law?The answers to these and other questions will help you determine which courts might haverecords of your ancestor. However, whatever the circumstances of your ancestor's life, youshould start on the county or local court level and move up to the national court level.Step 3. Find the records.For information on where to find court records, see Where to Find It.BackgroundDescriptionCivil and criminal courts on the county level included:• Quarter Sessions.• Assize Courts.Quarter Session records are usually the first court records to check for your ancestors.Civil and criminal courts on the national level included:• Court of Chancery (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).• Court of Common Pleas (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).• Court of the Exchequer (a court of equity until 1841).• Court of the King's Bench (absorbed into the Supreme Court in 1873-5).• Court of Requests.• Court of the Star Chamber.• Court of Wards and Liveries.• Supreme Court of Judicature (established in 1875).The national courts dealt with matters appealed from the county courts, or which could not behandled by the county courts, as well as matters of direct concern to the Crown. The court withthe largest collection of records covering the most people (before 1875) is the Court of Chancery.Some indexes to Chancery Court cases are available at the Family History Library:• Charles Bernau's Index. (In the catalog record, start with film note 37 for the surname index.)• George Sherwood Collection index.• Calendars, abstracts, etc., of Chancery Proceedings. (Include indexes.)Other indexes are also available at the Public Record Office of England, some of which coverlater periods.England, How to Use Court RecordsResearch GuidanceVersion of Data: 08/08/014There were also manorial courts. A manor was a large area of land held by a lord, which did notnecessarily conform to parish or county boundaries. The lord had tenants who provided him withservices or rent for their parcels of the manor lands. The lord held courts to try offensescommitted by the tenants, to settle disputes between tenants, and to handle the official businessof the manor. Records of these courts give information about the day-to-day life on a manor.Manorial court records began in 1066 and ended in the early 1900s, though many ended earlier.Court records tend to be difficult to use because:• Few are indexed.• Handwriting is hard to decipher.• They may be written in Latin.• They include unfamiliar legal terms.However, the great amount of information and details about everyday life found in the recordsmakes them a very valuable source, not to be overlooked. Some Family History Societies inEngland are beginning to index the names of people found in court records of their counties ofinterest.Where to Find ItFamily History CentersMost Family History Centers will not have microfilms of court records in their permanentcollections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a smallfee to have a microfilm loaned to a Family History Center.Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.Find a Family History Center near you.Family History LibraryThe Family History Library holds many English court records and indexes, mostly on microfilm.There is no fee for using the microfilms in person.To find the court records and indexes available at the library, look in the Family History LibraryCatalog. Go to What to Do Next, select the catalog, and look for court records for England orGreat Britain, or for a specific English county.If you can supply an index reference, you may request photocopies of court records from thelibrary for a small fee. You will need to fill out a Request for Photocopies form with the indexreference and the library microfilm number of the record. The microfilm number is available fromthe Family History Library Catalog. Send the form and the fee to the Family History Library.See Library Services and Resources for more information about using the Family History Libraryand Family History Centers.In EnglandThe Public Record Office of England holds records of the national courts and Assize courts.County repositories and libraries hold Quarter Session records. Addresses for many Englishrepositories can be obtained on the Internet by choosing Repository Lists on the ARCHONhome page. Addresses for public libraries can be obtained from Public Libraries on the Web.

Thank YOU / YOUR Article is Selected

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is delighted to let you know that the “England Court Records” article you helped create will be highlighted on the Main page of the Wiki. It will appear July 16, 2012 and remain for seven days. Thank you for your excellent work – you have given readers/researchers important access to records. Your contributions are appreciated and will assist others in finding their ancestors. You have made a difference in research!

Please note:

We invite you to do any enhancing, editing or changing to this article before we post it. If you are considering an edit we ask that it be completed by July 15, 2012. If you feel this article is not ready to be highlighted, please let us know. Thank you for your time and effort!